London. Global warming of more than two degrees could cause the melting of the planet’s largest ice sheet, located in Antarctica, enough to cause sea level rise by tens of meters today, scientists warn.

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement adopted at COP21 aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to the pre-industrial era. However, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the temperature increase is on track between 2.5 and 3 degrees.

If warming continues to rise beyond the 2-degree Celsius limit, the melting of the East Antarctic ice sheet could raise sea levels by several meters within a few centuries, according to a study from Durham University in the UK posted yesterday.

“The plate is by far the largest on the planet. It contains the equivalent of (a rise of) 52 meters of sea level. It’s very important not to wake the sleeping giant,” said study lead author Chris Stokes of Durham University.

Staying below that milestone will allow this ice sheet to contribute less than half a meter to sea level rise by 2500, say the authors, who include scientists from the UK, Australia and France.

reaction to hot period

The researchers, whose findings were published in the journal natural, study how the permafrost has reacted to recent warm spells and examine where those changes are occurring today.

“A key lesson from the past is that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is very sensitive to even relatively simple warming scenarios. It’s not as stable or protected as we previously thought,” said Nerilie Abram of the Australian National University in Canberra.

Abram stressed that there is now “a very small window of opportunity to rapidly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, limit global temperature rise, and preserve the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.”